Water, Puppies and Earwax

Water, Puppies and Earwax was Originally Posted on February 18, 2012 by lavarock

I finally finished installing the pump at Sandra’s. The irrigation system is back on and the only thing I see is some drips of water still from the connections. It is a precarious arrangement, but the best I could do without real plumbing expertise.

The first of the 3 eight-week old labs left today from the airport. Another gets picked up about noon and the last one flies out tomorrow morning. Sandra already has 2 deposits on the poodles.

My dog O`Lena, the yellow lab is not showing any signs yet of being in season. I am hoping for her second birthday, which is the end of April. Her sister Kaia has come into season and her owner is breeding her to a handsome guy. I’m just hoping that O`lena has a month or more to go. I would hate to have both litters be on the market at the same time. Still, there is a steady call for well-bred dogs.

I do have a quandary though. There are two dogs I can breed O`Lena to. Actually there are more if I want to use a mainland or Australian dog. However, I do have a couple of local studs standing by.

Very recently the canine breeding world became aware of a test for E.I.C (exercise induced collapse). Until now there has not been a test for it. EIC appears to be an inherited disease that affects very muscular and fit Labs. After a very heavy field exercise, they may collapse and be unable to stand for a period of time. This muscular issue ahs caused death in a very few cases and it appears that if a dog stops activity at first sign of the weakness, that is best. There is no indication that any dogs with the disease are not suitable as house pets, because house pets and perhaps hunting dogs so not get the aggressive workout that a field-trial dog would get. Pets are not exercised to that extent. This is why the problem has not been found before as it affects those dogs with heavy exercise. I think it parallels the collapse at the finish line of an Ironman participant after the swimming, biking and running segments. In a regular run or competition the problem of “hitting the wall” is not seen.

Anyway, O`Lena is a carrier but does not have the disease. If I breed her to a Lab who is also a carrier, then based on percentages, 25% of the puppies would have the disease, 50% would be carriers and 25% would be free from the disease. As with genes, it is always possible that the percentages don’t hold true and all could be clear of the gene. I mean we did have 11 puppies in one litter that were all female! That is how genetics works sometimes.

Here in Hawaii I don’t think many if anybody much does field trials. There certainly are other Lab breeders available. I also don’t think I have heard that any of the any Labs I helped deliver have gone for trials or even dog shows. They go to become family pets.

So if that breeding takes place, I would test each puppy and notify the prospective buyers of the test results. As I say, I don’t think this is a problem for pets. The puppies from this litter would all be yellow (although the condition effects all colors).

If I breed O`Lena to the other dog, all the puppuies would be black or chocolate colored. There would be no yellows because the male does not carry a yellow gene. In that case I think half of the dogs would be carriers (but not effected by EIC) and the other half would be clear.

Another thing to consider is that it appears Chocolate labs are most desired here, followed by yellow and then black. We say that but at any given time, someone will want a color puppy you don’t have Some people see Marley and Me and want a yellow Lab, some had a black Lab as a child and want one again; there are many reasons people choose a specific color. Then there are the people who want a Lab for its temperament and don’t care about the color or the sex.

So now you see one of the issues that breeders go through. We try to limit problems and breed them out of the line. This E.I.C. appears in a good percentage of Labs and has only just had a test. Much is not yet know and the actual percentages of affected canines are unknown. As more and more breeders test for this, we will begin trying to breed it out of the line. There does appear to be some vitamins and nutritional changes that seem to help, so it may be a manageable condition. Time will tell.

I have already tested O`Lena for hip and elbow Dysplasia and eye problems and has been certified clear.

These tests add to the costs of the puppies as you can imagine. $50 here, $150 there, $45 for this test; it all adds up.

The new owner has a right to know what problems might come up with their dog. It is very similar to the genetic testing you can have don on yourself. The website 23 andme.com lets you test yourself for all sorts of problems and see if that trait is in your family line. Will you or your children become lactose intolerant? What are your chances of getting type-2 diabetes? Yes they can even tell you what kind of earwax you have, what kind of reaction you would have to caffeine or blood pressure medicine.

In the case of humans, some people prefer not to know these things. When buying a puppy, we think you have a right to know. Think how much less you know when buying a puppy at a pet store.